1. Doctors’ fees go up
Doctors’ fees jump to €30 from €26.50 on December 22.
The agreement, between Assurance Maladie and self-employed doctors, is valid for five years, though there will also be increases to some doctors’ fees next July, such as psychiatrists and gynaecologists.
The increase will not directly affect patients covered by social security who have mutuelle cover (top-up health insurance) as they will still be reimbursed. However, the cost of mutuelles will probably rise as a result.
Read more: When are doctor fees rising in France and will reimbursement be affected?
2: Bin collections
Bin collection charges are to rise in many areas in 2025, with some councils increasing rates by double digits.
Cities are, on average, increasing rates more than smaller towns, with notable examples including Montpellier (up 18.4%) and Rennes (31.3%). The charges are the taxe or redevance d’enlèvement des ordures ménagères.
Read more: Steep rises in home rubbish collection fees for several areas of France
3: CGT on main homes
French MPs have voted in favour of capital gains tax (CGT) on the sale of some main homes to prevent property prices spiking in tourist areas, reduce France’s deficit, and prevent ‘flipping’ properties for profit.
It targets people who register a property as their main home, renovate it, then quickly sell – avoiding CGT, which is only payable on second homes.
The change affects properties sold after less than five years, but not if proceeds are used to buy another main home or the property is sold due to death, movement into a care home, or separation from a partner.
To become law, it must be approved in the 2025 budget.
Read more: Some main homes in France targeted for capital gains tax under new plan
4: Language rules
Language rules for residency permits could get tougher next year. This includes people receiving multi-year residency cards (cartes de séjour pluri-annuelles).
As part of the immigration bill adopted this year, they will need to show an A2 level of French (simple, everyday French, with know-ledge of tasks, actions, and basic tenses).
Applicants for a 10-year card will need B1 French (lower intermediate), and B2 (upper intermediate) for citizenship. Over-65s applying for 10-year cards are not affected.
It is planned for January 1, 2026, but some prefectures will effect the changes on an experimental basis by July 1, 2025.
Read more: Stricter language rules for French residency cards planned from July
5: No snow tyre fines
There will be no snow tyre fines this year, contrary to previous reports. Fines of €135 were set to be handed out from November in communes where snow tyres or chains are mandatory in winter, following a three-year ‘educational’ period.
However, this has been extended for another year due to the summer’s political instability. You might still need snow tyres for insurance claims.
Read more: No snow tyre fines in France this winter – but insurers may require them
Read more: Alerts for drivers as snow and ice expected in many parts of southern France
6: Secure prescription
Codeine and tramadol are now subject to ‘secure prescriptions’ to help combat addiction and misuse.
Prescriptions have the doctor’s name, contact details and ID number; the patient’s name; an anti-fraud barcode; and the dose and duration of treatment (maximum three months).
Read more: Change to prescription rules in France to prevent addiction
7: Disaster zones
Homeowners across 11 departments affected by the October floods have until December 5 to file insurance claims. Some 400 communes were declared natural disaster zones on November 5, giving owners 30 days to file a claim.
The 11 departments and list of communes can be found here.
Read more: 400 French communes declared natural disaster zones after October floods
8: Red motorway lines
Red lines have been added to two major motorways to remind drivers of risks when overtaking – on 4km of the A7 near Lyon and a section of the A10 near Bordeaux.
If successful, they might be added to more roads.
They work like uninterrupted white lines, forbidding vehicles from overtaking. The red is intended to be easier to spot and used in sections with heightened risks, such as bends.
Read more: What the new red lines on these French motorways mean
9: Prime de Noël
An annual bonus paid by the government to meet the costs of the festive season will benefit around 2.3 million households. It is likely to be between €150 for a person living alone and €450 for one parent with five children.
It is not yet known when people will receive this bonus but you must be on social benefits to qualify.
10: Speed limits
Departmental roads in Eure have become the latest to revert to a 90km/h speed limit, after being reduced to 80km/h in 2018. This measure “hit working people in France hard, particularly in rural areas”, said the department’s president.
Read more: 2024 Map: see where in France road speeds are reverting to 90km/h limit
11: Immigration law
A new immigration law will be debated in early 2025, with proposals to change state medical aid into ‘emergency’ aid and remove free healthcare provision for undocumented migrants with low incomes.
There are also proposals to end automatic right to citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, and extend the detention period for illegal immigrants deemed dangerous.
Read more: What changes are proposed in the planned new French immigration law?
12: ‘Super dividend’
A law increasing taxes on ‘super dividends’ of very large companies has been adopted by the Assemblée nationale.
The tax will apply to firms with sales of €1billion or more that distribute dividends that exceed 20% of the average dividends distributed over the previous five years.
Read more: French parliament approves law to raise taxes on ‘super-dividends’
13: Driving offences
Speed cameras are to be upgraded to detect additional driving offences. These include failure to keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead, using a handheld mobile phone while driving, and failure to wear a seatbelt. If caught, drivers could receive a €135 fine and potentially lose three points.
The plan is part of the new 2025 budget, and is subject to it being passed.
Read more: LIST: What offences will France’s new AI cameras be able to detect?
14: Paris driving rules
New limits on driving through central Paris came into effect in November as an official traffic restriction zone (zone à trafic limité – ZTL) was put in place.
It means certain areas in the central arrondissements are closed to traffic, with the exception of emergency services and people living or working there.
Exemptions also exist to visit friends who live in the area, or for shopping or visiting a cinema there.
Drivers with a carte mobilité inclusion (disabled person’s badge) or European mobility card, as well as those attending medical appointments, can enter too.
Public transport, such as buses and taxis, are also exempt, as are bikes and scooters (trottinettes).
Those who have a justification for driving in the zone will need to show it – proof of address or working – to authorities.
Electric vehicles are not automatically exempt. This is because the rules are not in place just for pollution reasons, but also to minimise congestion.
Signs – a white circle with a red border on a white background – informing drivers of where the restrictions begin have already been put up.
If you are caught driving through the ZTL without a good reason, you risk a category 4 fine – €135. However, no fines will be handed out until April.
Paris city council is yet to confirm the official list of documents allowing people to drive through the zone, or how future controls will work.
Following the lowering of the speed limit of the péripherique ring road, which Paris’s mayor considers a success, a dozen more kilometres of motorway will have their speed limit reduced – the A86 between Saint-Denis and la Courneuve, and the A4 between Charenton-le-Pont and Saint-Maurice.
Read more: Ignoring this increasingly common French road sign could cost you €135
